Macedonian Nation Between Self-Identity and Euro-Atlantic Integration: Implications of the Agreements with Bulgaria and Greece

Abstract

This paper examines the implications of the political agreements with Bulgaria and Greece for the Macedonian society and their reflection among Macedonian intellectuals. The agreements preconditioned the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia with the change of the constitutional name into ‘Republic of North Macedonia,’ followed by the politically dictated self-revision of the history of the Macedonian nation by putting an end to the ‘Macedonism.’ The first part of the qualitative analysis suggests that the agreements impose the revision of the Macedonian national narrative by replicating the national history of Bulgaria and Greece, which essentially challenges and delegitimises the identity of the Macedonian nation. This is expected to be reflected in the revised school textbooks from which the new generations will learn about the new history of the citizens of ‘North Macedonia.’ The second part of the paper is based on qualitative research on twenty-two interviewees, members of the Macedonian academic community, about their perception of the extent to which the agreements may affect the Macedonian national identity, their attitudes towards the establishment of the committees on education and historical interpretation established in the agreements, and their opinion about the future.